Diversity Fashion Week in Amsterdam: Photos from 2022

Written By Josephine Rees

Clifford (left) and Rachel (right) in designs by Annigje/ MI&ANN. Wheelchair covers designed by Simeli

On October 28th-30th 2022, the latest annual Diversity Fashion Week took place in Amsterdam. Founded as a non-profit organisation in 2018, the Diversity Fashion Week Foundation is dedicated to improving inclusivity and diversity in all forms on the runway. The main areas of focus are diversity & inclusion education and ‘inclusion by design’ — for example, fashion that meets the needs of wheelchair users. Diversity Fashion Week was created by co-founders Sensemielja Sumter and Daisy van der Veen, who I had the pleasure of interviewing for a blog post in 2020.


What is Diversity Fashion Week?

Diversity Fashion Week is an annual Amsterdam-based event. It aims to “break through the "standard" image of (ideal) beauty … and provide a platform for all kinds of talent … with a stronger focus on the representation of people of colour, plus size models and a range of sexual orientations and gender expressions.”

During our interview in 2020, co-founder Daisy van der Veen summed up the foundation’s vision: “We want to challenge current beauty standards and celebrate diversity between models. We’ve had models with disabilities and without, models of all ages: children, teenagers, adults, even mature models. Models with experience and models with no experience who want to give it try. We want to offer everyone a chance to be seen and feel like, ‘Hey, I’m allowed to be here too.’“


Diversity Fashion Week’s designers

This year Diversity Fashion Week collaborated with Kelly Lampers from SUE’s Warriors, a Dutch organisation with a shared vision to improve diversity in the fashion industry. Designers came from all over the world, including:


Diversity Fashion Week in photos

Diversity Fashion Week 2022 was held at the WestCord Fashion Hotel, EFE, and De Arendshoeve’s Garden of Amsterdam. Below you’ll find a few impressions of this spectacular 3-day event. All photos are the author’s own:

Rachel in designs by Jana Roos

Lieke in designs by Fares Moses

Clifford (left) and Rachel (right) in designs by Stephastique. Wheelchair covers designed by Simeli

Kiemsha in designs by Rosalie Key

Nata in designs by Sara Habibi (Lumious Bridal)

Rittika in designs by Nicole Plender

Yeni in designs by Nicole Plender

Angelique in designs by Sara Habibi (Lumious Bridal)

Kim (left) and Jeanette (right) in designs by Sue’s Warriors

Vanita in designs by Rosalie Key

Brinel in designs by Khadija Faraj

Josephine in designs by Rosalie Key

Clifford (left) and Rachel (right) in designs by Annigje/ MI&ANN. Wheelchair covers designed by Simeli

Sandra in designs by Sue’s Warriors. Wheelchair cover designed by Simeli and boots by Adel Mamish

Djennah in designs by Khadija Faraj

Janiyah (left), Francesca (middle) and Mia (right) in designs by Sara Habibi (Luminous Bridal)

For more information about Diversity Fashion Week, check out the Diversity Fashion Week website, follow @diversityfashionweek on Instagram, or email diversityfashionweek@outlook.com

Josephine Rees

My name is Josephine Rees (1993) and I am Dutch-British. I was raised in Tokyo and Moscow and moved to the Netherlands to study Anthropology & Human Geography in 2012. After briefly living in Thailand and Cambodia, I am now based in Amsterdam and have recently completed my MSc in Social Policy and Public Health.

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